The effect of moulds on the content of biogenic amines in fruit and fruit juice

Among risk factors in food are biogenic amines mainly formed by spoilage and fermentation processes. The majority of biogenic amines results from food-associated microorganisms or spoilage organisms. In the spoilage of fruit and fruit juice moulds play an important role because of the food's low pH. However, little information is available about the influence of moulds on the biogenic amine content and their kinetics as a factor influencing the quality and safety of food. Microbiological and kinetic investigations in this field were therefore carried out. The biogenic amine content of different fruit juices was determined. Special attention was paid to the biogenic amine kinetics of spontaneous fruit spoilage. The biogenic amine kinetics of fruit and fruit juice after inoculation with special moulds were investigated as well. In this way it was possible to evaluate the influence of other microorganisms than moulds and of endogenous enzymes. The results have shown that higher biogenic amine levels are present in fruit which have a soft texture and hence are susceptible to spoilage. The risk of foodborn intoxication by biogenic amines in fruit and fruit juices has been found to be small despite their low pH. Moulds do not seem to be responsible for significantly increased levels of biogenic amines in fruit and fruit juices.